198 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



"Whenever 'Dr. PinchoffV advent is heralded by his 

 press bureau it is generally regarded by the citizens of 

 the Northwest about the same as the approach of the 

 smallpox or any similar dreaded thing," and concludes 

 by saying "Long live Pinchoff ! if he could only be de- 

 throned and forced to remain forever in "Washington, 

 D. C." 



The effusion of our western friend indicates in a 

 way the general feeling toward Mr. Pinchot throughout 

 the west. The impression seems to prevail in that terri- 

 tory that this gentleman has some unknown influence 

 over the President of the United States, and the west- 

 ern people are making an effort to learn what that in- 

 fluence is. 



Reports indicate that the Reclamation 

 Exorbitant Service is experiencing considerable dif- 

 Prices. ficulty in securing what they consider 



fair offers for construction work in con- 

 nection with various projects. Contractors consider 

 government jobs "fat picking," but the careful sur- 

 veillance of Reclamation Service officials, where they 

 are honest, as the majority of them are, will preclude 

 the possibility of any overcharge by contractors in this 

 work. 



Mr. Newell, whose honesty and integrity are un- 

 questioned, has general supervision of all of this work, 

 and where bids are passed through him to the Sec- 

 retary of the Interior it is safe to conclude that he or 

 his assistants, being well acquainted with conditions, 

 are fully as capable of determining values for work to 

 be performed as the contractors themselves. 



The exorbitant prices asked by some contractors 

 for construction work on main canals and laterals in 

 Montana has compelled the Secretary of the Interior 

 to authorize a call for informal proposals, either in 

 small divisions, or as a whole, and it is stated that 

 even under these conditions only one bid was made, 

 which would indicate at least an understanding between 

 all large contractors who are capable of taking care 

 of work of this character, which may prove too bur- 

 densome for the Reclamation Service and compel the 

 carrying out of some of the larger projects by forced 

 contract directly under the control of the engineers 

 in charge of specific work. 



The new Secretary of the Interior has not been 

 in office long enough to fully grasp the situation in its 

 entirety, but recent reports of his rulings would in- 

 dicate a desire to protect the government in every way 

 possible, and at the same time treat fairly the con- 

 tractors who are equipped for work of this magnitude. 



Send $2.50 for The Irrigation Age 

 1 yea.r, o.nd the Primer of Irrigation 



The IRRIGATION AGE will publish an ar- 

 Lands Not tide soon by Hon. Arthur R. Briggs, 

 Settled. secretary of the State Board of Trade 



of California, on "How to Attract New- 

 comers to the Newly Developing Areas Under Gov- 

 ernment Canals Throughout the West." 



Mr. Briggs is fully competent to handle this sub- 

 ject and we anticipate an article which will be very 

 interesting to our readers. 



Recent developments under the reclamation law 

 tend to show that a grave error was made in omitting 

 from that law some provision which would assist in 

 colonizing the areas under different government works 

 throughout the West. It is a well-known fact that 

 the Truckee-Carson Project, which was completed last 

 year, and was extensively advertised as the first project 

 opened up under the reclamation law, is not receiving 

 the attention of homeseekers which its soil, climatic 

 conditions and water supply warrant. This work was 

 well advertised through the magazines of the country 

 all of which gave it unusual prominence owing to the 

 fact that it was the first project completed under this 

 law, and it was reasonable to suppose that no diffi- 

 culty would be encountered in colonizing the area un- 

 der the canal. Varying conditions have, however, left 

 this project with few settlers and a serious problem 

 confronts the government in the matter of a return of 

 the money expended on this work, which under the 

 law was to be used for other works, as it was paid in 

 by the settlers, at the rate of 10 per cent annually on 

 the cost of each acre reclaimed. 



It is very evident that where there are no settlers 

 and where money is not turned back to the government 

 as was anticipated under the law, serious criticism 

 may be brought out against the law itself, and unless 

 some provision is made whereby this money is returned 

 to the Reclamation Service for use on new projects, 

 the whole enterprise is liable to be discredited by a 

 scrutinizing public. It is the impression of those who 

 have given the matter serious attention that the law 

 should be so amended as to allow a given sum per acre 

 for colonization purposes, as carried on by large land 

 and railway corporations throughout the West. 



To more clearly illustrate the disadvantages under 

 which the government is operating, it may be stated 

 that the large railway corporations of the West and 

 Southwest, who are marketing immense areas, of in 

 many cases inferior lands, pay colonization agents as 

 high as $5 per acre for securing purchasers, who will 

 settle on the land, and it is very easy to understand that 

 a colonization agent, who is working at the rate of $5 

 per acre for securing settlers, will put in better work 

 than is possible by any government system, where the 

 officials are not permitted to offer any inducement to 

 either a settler or an agent. 



